How do you answer the question "What is your greatest weakness?"?

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Quick Answer

Two key strategies in answering the weakness interview question are to share a non-impacting weakness and to discuss improvement. Sharing an honest weakness shows good communication and integrity, but selecting a trait that doesn't align with the job lowers the chances that it would affect the hiring decision.

By picking a weakness that an interviewee has addressed through efforts to improve, the candidate can demonstrate a capacity for growth. The applicant might say, for example, "I have struggled with keeping a to-do list, but I have found an electronic system that works well for me and have gotten a lot better at it recently." This answer balances humility with the inclusion of an accomplishment.